A book has been returned to a Boston-area library 90 years after it was checked out.
The delayed delivery was made public in a post on the Watertown Free Public Library's Facebook page, offering an explanation for the work's 90-year odyssey.
First, the workers wrote, the copy of Egerton R. Williams Jr.'s “Hill Towns of Italy” was stolen. checked out by an unnamed person on January 30, 1934, five years before World War II and in the middle of the Great Depression.
Then the 120-year-old tourist book – which was due to return after two weeks – somehow found its way to the country's capital.
There it was found by a 'remote patron' who brought it back to the suburb. With the book back in hand, staff at the 154-year-old facility then announced the full financial damage caused by the late return: $656 for the one who didn't return it.
This book – the 120-year-old tourist book 'Hill Towns of Italy' – has been returned to a Boston-area library just 90 years after it was checked out
The delayed delivery arrived at the Watertown Free Public Library this week, thanks to a 'remote patron'
“This Watertown Library book is 90 years overdue,” read the social media post, written Tuesday.
“A far-flung patron found it in Washington, D.C., and brought it back on a trip to Boston.”
“Under the policy pasted into this book, this patron would owe us ~$656.00,” the update continued.
“Luckily for them, we no longer charge late fees,” the staff continued, taking the opportunity to show what else has changed at the library since 1934.
First, they said, the loan period for books is no longer fourteen days, but typically three weeks, “with automatic renewals.”
Library opening hours have also changed since the 1930s: they are now open most days from 9am to 9pm, instead of 2pm to 9pm.
The 'summer hours' – where the library would close its doors an hour earlier from July 1 to September 1 – are also a thing of the past, having been abolished decades ago.
The lost books policy has also changed, along with the library's then two-cent day late fee.
Staff today reiterated, “The Watertown Free Public Library does not charge late fees!” after implementing the change during the pandemic in July 2020.
The book was lent by an unnamed person on January 30, 1934, five years before World War II and in the midst of the Great Depression.
The story, while bizarre, is not entirely unusual, with a slew of books returning to their respective libraries well past their due dates in recent months.
In June aAn 86-year-old borrower returned a copy of the first edition of George Orwell's 1984 to a Oregon library after 65 years – but not before leaving a note saying the dystopian novel needed to be read now 'more than ever'.
In May one The long-awaited history book – Benson Lossing's 'A History of the United States' – was returned to the California library from which it was loaned on February 21, 1927, making it almost a century overdue.
In March, a children's book returned to the Deschutes Public Library in Oregon, nearly 50 years after it was checked out, along with a $20 donation and a sweet note apologizing for not returning it sooner.
In that case, the book, Scott Corbett's “The Hockey Trick,” was borrowed by an unknown customer on April 25, 1979, making it 44 years late.
Fortunately, as was the case with the quirky Boston book, all three incidents resulted in no fines, as every library stopped collecting them years ago.